Just Sometimes
by Flowing Chikara
Summary: Over years of shouting and insult-throwing in the name of Sakura, she finally drives Naruto over the edge... or does she?


**Hai, to my few fellow readers~**

 **For those who follow this story, you might have noticed the second chapter's disappearance. Here's the story: it came to my attention that the first two chapters were quite short… and didn't particularly portray a good beginning for the direction of the story I am aiming for. So I mixed them into one chapter and added some new scenes.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **P.S.- As for the hiatus,** **ごめんなさい** **~ I'll keep on working on the second chapter - it might be longer - but there's no promises XD. It might be shorter than this one.**

"NO! Please, Naruto," Sakura sobbed. "Why do you have to go-"

Naruto put his hand up to interrupt her. His blond hair fell over his eyes, masking his face from the kunoichi. "Shut it. I hate this place. I hate you, every little existence that lives-"

"No, you're not yourself-"

"Shut up", Naruto growled in annoyance. "Didn't anyone teach you about letting people finish their sentences?"

 _The jumpy boy eagerly bounced into the office, glowing in pride. He puffed up his little chest and shouted, "Hey, baa-chan! See? I defeated-"_

 _FLOOM!_

 _The genin flew into the back wall, landing with a sound crunch._

 _A fuming Tsunade towered over the small genin, eyes gleaming with malice. She shook her fist menacingly, as if to hit Naruto once again._

" _I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME BAA-CHAN!"_

"Guess not then."

"Naruto," Sakura pleaded. Even if she wouldn't admit it, she would rather shrivel up and die than have Naruto leave her. Sure, Sasuke was her ultimate dream boy, but Naruto was… just always there for her. When her crush had gone off training, mumbling about questionable things, Naruto just stood by Sakura, trying to cheer her up in every way imaginable. He always held that smile for her, even when she hit and scolded him. Before she knew it, hot, immense tears were rolling down her face.

Words came tumbling out of her mouth. "Naruto please don't leave me alone, I just want you to stay, I'll give you everything I have-" She choked up, scrunching up her face in an effort to continue her rant.

"Sakura. LEAVE. RIGHT. NOW." The blond shinobi bellowed, tone choleric and malicious. Shocked, the kunoichi stumbled back, tripping over herself. His sudden outburst reminded her of one person, whom she never wanted to see or hear again. It never came to her that Naruto would be the one striking the same feeling. However, she was determined to not lose him to darkness.

"No." Even with all the strength and power she could muster, the word came out as a small squeak, almost equivalent to the cooing of a child.

Even so, this did not bide well with Naruto. His rage exploded and showered Sakura in his pure fury. "Say what?"

He took one slow step towards her. Then another. He crawled his way towards Sakura, as if taunting her to make a move.

 _Sakura…_

She went frigid. The voice made her body tremor like she was in a blizzard without clothes on.

"No…" she rasped. "What…"

 _It's me, Sakura._

"No… NO… "

 _This is who I am now. Because of you._

"NOOOOO!" The scream cut through the silence blanketing the night. Immediately, everything stopped.

The leaves were still shuffling quietly in the breeze, the night sky still sprinkled with stars glaring down at the world, and a pair of beautiful eyes still open. However, the trees were too quiet, the stars too serene, the eyes too beautiful and wild to be sane.

His eyes were a shattered mirror, reflecting the broken soul within him; the broken girl beneath him; the broken boy, shattered and unrepairable.

"Now do you see, Sakura. I must go." He turned around, intending to leave her in the dust, drowning in her own misery.

Naruto whipped around in surprise. "You…"

Sakura crawled to her knees. "I…" She pushed one foot up, then another. "... will…" There she stood in all her glory, swaying as if a feather could knock her down.

" _Never, ever, let you go!_ "

She charged. "SHANNARO!" Sakura bellowed, swinging her fist towards Naruto's stomach.

' _Ha, he isn't prepared to block this. I got it.'_ Sakura thought.

Her fist flew to inches from his stomach, just about to hit.

Fist sank into flesh. But this wasn't where Sakura was aiming for. Naruto hadn't moved an inch, holding the fist aimed at him.

The once-hyperactive knucklehead ninja would have just stood there as a punchbag for Sakura, but not this one. He'd changed, now just a dark, brooding silhouette just out of her reach - much like a certain someone.

' _No. He's not going to leave me. Never.'_ Using what knowledge she gained over the years, she formed a quick call-for-help plan.

The pink-headed kunoichi promptly pulled out a several kunai and chucked them in a vertical line it at her teammate. Naruto merely leaned slightly to the side, causing the knives to whizz past, burying into the bark of a nearby tree. Little did he know, those kunai would be the first step to his capture.

' _Step one, check.'_

Sakura jumped to the right and made three clones, two of whom charged Naruto, attempting to smash some sense into him with their chakra-empowered fists. Then she ran over to the right of where she first threw her kunai. The clones fighting Naruto popped out of existence into a puff of smoke, leaving him staring at the original Sakura across from him.

"Hmpf, well aren't you so annoying." Naruto then proceeded to raise his hands in a triangular fashion. He stood there, eyes glittering; a shattered mirror; speculating his hands as if waiting for something to happen. On thought, a small black dot formed in mid-air at the center of the triangle. It grew larger and larger, until it hovered at the size of a boulder; like an enormous raincloud bringing soon impending doom.

"It's over, Sakura."

"HAAAAA!" Without warning, another Sakura popped up from behind and chucked another set of kunai at Naruto. The blonde-haired ninja's eyes widened in surprise, unable to block the attack. The jutsu vanished from his hands.

"Wha-" The kunai spun around Naruto, winding him in the wires attached to the knives.

"AURRGHH! You're -ugh- such a nuisance!" He thrashed around in the wires, struggling to get free.

A silhouette made its way to the genin's side. Her pink mane flowed in the wind, standing over the tangled shinobi at her feet. Her eyes glinted - whether in hatred or happiness- when she glanced down at the boy's face. Suddenly, she collapsed to her knees, a waterfall falling from her eyes.

"Naruto, I - _sob-_ I'm so, so - _sob-_ sorry." Sakura held his face in her hands, staring into those beautiful, majestic pupils. How many times had she bullied him? How many times had she pushed him away? How many times had she hurt him? She fell forward onto Naruto and held onto him so hysterically her fingers tore holes in his shirt.

Her hands grasped wildly at his hair, tears soaking the golden hair into a murky yellow.

"Please." The powerful and brave face Sakura had masked her pain in broke, leaving a small, lonely girl desperately reaching for the shadow of

"Naruto, I-" The girl cradled his face in her hands and inched her face towards his.

"What, stop, get away from me Sakura-!" Naruto shouted.

Lips crashed into lips, but only one heart was left to search for the other.

Naruto popped into a puff of smoke.

"Wha-" Sakura tumbled onto her butt in surprise.

All of a sudden, a weight slammed into her chest, knocking the wind out of her. She folded over wheezing, her lungs desperately trying to absorb the impact. Her vision grew woozy, blurring from the pain. She slumped back and lay on the ground huffing and puffing, eyes closed.

"What was that?" she croaked. She could feel her heartbeat pounding throughout her body, and reached up, laying two fingers in the crook of her neck. Her eyes widened. It was absolutely impossible.

There was no pulse.

Trembling in panic, Sakura lay the two fingers on her wrist.

Nothing.

A tsunami crashed into her, rendering her unconscious for a second. Then, it seemed a tornado was taking place inside her. She screamed. Her insides twisted and turned, flung and flailed, until she was thrashing around on the ground.

Everything turned dark.


End file.
